I own nothing. Monika does.
When they emerged from the elevator, everyone was pleasantly surprised to see that the door that had been blocking their entrance was no longer there. This made Crow and Valiant wonder if it would be the same for anyone that got to the high limit floor, including the messenger they were investigating. If that were the case, at least the two could be glad that they would really only be spending their time on this floor while the thieves tried to reach the Manager's Floor.
The group was quick to notice another of the Shadows was standing behind a counter, though there was no glass screen separating them. Just a grand golden counter. Everyone quickly went over to greet the Shadow, where they were given one-thousand more coins, along with a new map. Upon requesting an exchange for another members card, the group was shocked when the Shadow merely chuckled and pointed to a door nearby, explaining that there would be no need for another members card. Confused, the group went over to the staircase and made their way to the door the Shadow had pointed out. Entering, the thieves were shocked at what stood in their way now.
A raised, grand golden bridge in the form of a scale separated them from a new entrance that would hopefully bring them to the manager's floor. However, before they could make it across, they would have to lower the bridge first. Joker quickly spotted a terminal stationed against the railing. He inserted their members card, and everyone was shocked when the terminal didn't accept their card, explaining that they would need one-hundred-thousand coins to lower the bridge.
If it weren't for the fact that they needed to investigate the high limit floor, Crow would have suggested that they simply go back to the members floor and win at slots two more times. But as it stood, they needed to look around, so he instead decided to convince the group to look around at the games on this floor instead. "We can succeed if we make fifty-thousand again, and then double our total."
"I suppose this is the high limit floor…" Queen said thoughtfully.
"Indeed, there must be a high risk, high return game somewhere here. Though we'll need to win, too..." Fox trailed off, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
"Our first order of business should be to see what kind of games exist on this floor," Crow said, making sure that his tone made it known there was no room for argument.
Everyone seemed to get the message, as Joker led the way into other areas of the floor. They went to an area with a large sign overhead, labeling it as a "Battle Arena," with a Shadow guarding it. The Shadow did not speak in a hostile way, explaining that they needed to pay an entrance fee of ten-thousand to enter. Unfortunately, Joker had spent most of their remaining coins on healing items the day before, so they did not have enough.
Turning around, the group retraced their steps and arrived in a new area, labeled as a "House of Darkness." The Shadow standing in front of it once again appeared not to be hostile, making the Phantom Thieves feel a slight sense of relief. Thankfully, the House of Darkness only required a fee of one-thousand to participate. The reward for reaching the end of this "darkly-lit, straightforward maze" was ten-thousand coins.
Doing the math in his head, Crow knew that if the Battle Arena had a similar output, they could get the number of coins they needed easily. For someone who didn't want them to reach their goal no matter what, Sae was practically handing them their entrance ticket to the Manager's Floor to them on a silver platter. That alone made him suspicious. As a precaution, the detective would have to ensure the group ended up with even more coins to their name, sensing that the Palace Ruler most definitely wanted to pull the rug out from under them.
Everyone seemed to be in agreement that they would go into the dark maze, but before doing so, Joker found another safe room for the group to use. They all decided to do one last check of their items and equipment before they went into the maze, suspecting that they would once again be met with an unfair match. It was also the time for many of the Phantom Thieves to attempt to reassure a nervous Queen, who looked absolutely terrified about going into the dark maze.
'If it helps, Queen and a few others could probably wait outside. Fox could take her place on the team," Crow suggested. Joker nodded, approving of the idea immediately, though Queen argued that they might need her there to strategize.
"I think Crow can handle that," Skull pointed out. "So maybe you can just chill out with the rest of us in the safe room while Joker and a couple others go into the maze."
"I suppose you are right," Queen conceded, though she didn't seem very happy about it.
The group took a couple more minutes to relax, resting their heads against the table and participating in smalltalk. Crow found himself standing off to the side, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes for a brief moment of rest. All the while, he listened in. The small talk seemed, for the most part, inconsequential and random. He almost stopped listening altogether, until Panther brought up a very strange topic that captured his attention almost immediately.
"Don't you think it's weird?" Panther asked with a look of uncertainty on her face, drawing the attention of everyone else. "Most of our Personas have evolved into a new form-except for our newest members- and also Valiant. Mona, too."
Evolved…? Crow silently questioned to himself, wondering what they meant by that. He had Robin Hood and Loki, but they were two separate Personas, instead of one evolving into a different form. It also shocked him that everyone found this to be common knowledge as they each nodded casually.
Joker averted his eyes, not seeming to like where this conversation was going for some reason, and he refused to participate in the conversation as everyone else talked about it.
"I do find it… odd. Mona and Valiant have both been on our team for a long time, yet have shown no sign of their Personas evolving the way ours have," Fox agreed. He looked at the two thieves in question with an imploring expression.
"I don't know how to explain it," Mona began, "but when I'm with Joker, sometimes I get the feeling that I'm slowly beginning to get stronger. You guys all feel that way, too. Right?" When everyone-except Valiant-nodded in agreement, he sighed in relief. "So I don't think it will be too long before the rest of us catch up to you guys. Right, Noir?"
"Right," Noir agreed, with Oracle chirping in agreement behind her.
Valiant, however, seemed as confused as Crow felt, not understanding what any of them were referring to. He distantly remembered the final fight in Sayori's Palace. It was foggy, but he thought that perhaps Skull, Panther, and Fox's Personas looked different from how they did now. And Joker had something to do with it?
For some reason, a pit of dread bloomed in the detective's chest as he considered the thought of Valiant getting this "evolved Persona." Everyone mentioned that in order to get theirs, they had to spend time with Joker. Did that mean the only way for the girl to evolve was to spend time with Joker?
In many ways, Crow saw himself as a rival with the leader, envious of his natural ability and wanting to catch up with him. However, those feelings of jealousy were nothing compared to how they were now. Never before had he fixated so harshly on the sentence, "why him, and not me?" His brow furrowed behind his mask, and the detective turned his face away from the group, impatiently staring at the door as he listened for the order from Joker to leave the safe room. He just wanted to go into the stupid maze more than anything.
Meanwhile, Valiant stared at Crow, noticing how moody he had unintentionally become. She wasn't sure exactly why he was suddenly so cranky, but she had a feeling it had to do with the quickly dying topic of conversation. It made her sad to hear, too. All of her teammates had matured, evolving their inner fighting spirit to the point where their Persona changed. It made her wonder why she wasn't good enough. Was she still the same way she had always been? She felt no stronger than normal, and the few times she had spent time with Joker, it didn't feel as though anything had happened between them like what the group described.
It was frustrating, because it only served to make her doubt her relationship with the Thieves, Joker specifically. She felt like her friendship with him was strong, as she relied on him and everyone else to be there for her, and she always did her best as a Phantom Thief, and as a friend. So why was Psyche still Psyche? More importantly, why couldn't Psyche just stay Psyche? Was she not good enough, either?
Valiant hugged herself silently, closing her eyes as the group suddenly switched topics. It seemed like everyone could sense the sudden discomfort. Oracle watched as the couple stood on opposite sides of the room, both in bad moods. She had to wonder if one of them was unaware enough for her to push them towards the other. She doubted they were mad at each other, so it only made sense that they should stand together and comfort each other. Since she was such a good friend, the young hacker began to silently scheme how to best do this when Joker suddenly stood up.
"Let's go," he said sharply. Crow was the first one out, standing up from the wall and walking briskly towards the door, not bothering to look back as the rest of the thieves filed out of the door after their leader.
Joker ran to the dark maze's entrance and opened the doors. Fox, Valiant, Crow, Oracle, and Mona all followed him in, while the rest of the Thieves ended up waiting outside. Skull got a good look at what the maze looked like right before the door closed, but by then it was already too late. The door closed behind Joker, and the Phantom Thieves that remained on the other side of the door heard something snap into place on the other side.
"The hell?" Skull asked, before grumbling, "'Kind of dark', my ass! That place was pitch black!"
"I've changed my mind. We should all go into the maze," Queen declared, going up to the double doors and tugging on the handle. However, the doors remained stubbornly shut. "What? It isn't opening!"
Noir and Panther turned towards the security-guard Shadow that had explained the "House of Darkness" to the group. Both girls immediately ran towards it, looking ready to kill it where it stood.
"How dare you deceive us!" Noir shouted, swinging her axe at the Shadow. Everyone else took out their guns and began to shoot at it.
"You thieves are mistaken. I never lied to you!" the Shadow defended, beginning to look agitated.
"Bullshit!" Skull yelled. "You said that they could turn back at anytime! So why aren't the doors opening to let them out!?"
"The doors aren't opening to let you in," the Shadow explained. At the group's visible confusion, the Shadow seemed to release a long suffering sigh. "The one with the members card paid one-thousand coins for him and his group to have access to the maze. None of you have paid a participation fee."
"No…" Queen trailed off, before turning around and punching the maze's door. "This was a bad idea! We need to get in there! I'm such a coward! No wonder Sis-"
"Mako-chan, calm down!" Noir shouted, practically dragging the girl away from the door. "There's nothing to be done. We'll just have to wait for everyone to win the maze…" None of them liked the way the Shadow had chuckled at that.
"Yeah… I guess you're right," Queen sighed. Everyone was about to head back towards the safe room, when Panther spotted something on the ground.
"What's this?" the girl wondered aloud, bending over to pick something up. She lit up when she saw it though. "It looks like Crow saved the Taro Tanaka members card! Oh, and it has a thousand coins on it, too. How convenient!" Panther suddenly tilted her head and squinted at the card. "A little too convenient…"
"Did he leave that for us on purpose?" Noir asked. "I imagine in case we wanted to follow them."
"It would be super hard to follow them in that pitch black maze, though," Skull pointed out.
"That's not it," Queen objected. "He probably left this card here for us because he predicted that there might be problems for them in the maze."
"Let's pay the participation fee and enter, then!" Noir exclaimed. Everyone nodded in agreement and went to do just that.
Meanwhile, inside the maze, Joker led the way using his Third Eye ability to see in the dark. Oracle detected Shadows, and every so often he could see them, patrolling the halls of the maze. Once again, it was rather obvious that the Phantom Thieves had been cheated. Sae had no intention of letting them progress.
None of the Phantom Thieves could see, so Joker walked slowly, quietly speaking every so often so that the others could tell where he was going. Crow had also insisted that they go slowly, for some odd reason. The leader wasn't about to dismiss the strategy simply because it was on the detective's insistence, after all. He had been thinking the same.
In the back of the group, Crow couldn't help but feel anxious, though he did his best to hide it. Having to put his blind trust in Joker didn't sit well with him, probably because it only made him feel more inferior to the boy then he already did. It was his stupid pride again, and the detective couldn't help but hate that part of himself for making things so much harder for him in this position. After all, wasn't Shido's most aggravating trait his pride? Once again, the man was ruining everything for him!
It doesn't help that I can barely tell I'm moving forward at all… Crow thought to himself, taking small steps as the darkness around him, and the completely smooth floors beneath him, provided no landmark or sign that he was moving forward. It gave him a strange sense of anxiety. Spending time in a dark, infinite vacuum was what Crow imagined to be hell. It would be a rather karmic punishment for him as well, when he considered it.
An arm brushed against his, and he felt the other Phantom Thief flinch and jerk away. Either it's Oracle or Valiant. Hmm… With those goggles that Oracle had, I wonder if Oracle has night vision…
He was about to ask, when he suddenly felt one of the people around him grab his hand. "Crow…" Valiant whispered, sounding nervous, "Do you hear footsteps?"
She sounds terrified… Crow didn't blame her. This darkness was rather unnerving, and hearing footsteps would be alarming as well. He listened for what the girl had pointed out, and everyone else had frozen at that statement as well. There were footsteps, running right up to them. Crow wondered if they were about to get into a fight, when Joker suddenly spoke up.
"Guys?" Joker asked, as Queen, Skull, Panther, and Noir all finally caught up to them, making a lot of noise as they did so.
The other team members relaxed upon hearing that it was only their friends, instead of an enemy, and Crow felt glad that one of them must have found his extra members card. However, that shared sense of relief was cut short when the four new arrivals seemed to be panicking even more. Worse, were the heavier sets of footsteps that everyone could hear beginning to surround them.
"We were spotted," Joker said grimly, looking around at the Shadows that knew they had the upper hand. What was worse was that they all glowed red with power. "Everyone, prepare for a rough fight!" He ran forward and slashed one of the Shadows across the chest. It caused a ripple effect as each surrounding Shadow dissolved and reformed, revealing their true selves,
"When we tried to get in here, that one guard tried to get in our way," Queen explained, grimacing as one of the Shadows tried to practically slice her in half. She just barely managed to dodge it.
"He must've called for backup," Skull growled, swinging around wildly with a large spiked bat.
"We apologize for not staying behind like we originally decided, but we all became worried after the doors shut," Noir apologized. "Yet in the end, we only managed to make it worse…"
"Save apologies for later!" Crow snapped, shocking the other group members into silence. "It was my fault, anyway. Let's just focus on killing these pests."
"He sounds a bit more intense than I was expecting…" Panther trailed off. He must really be stressed. Now I wish I had just left that card where it was.
Flashes of multi-colored lights lit up the area as everyone took off their masks, their manifesting Personas lighting up the area with their ethereal glow. It was much easier to assess the enemies now, and the Phantom Thieves got that relief just in time to feel the first wave of attacks from the surrounding Shadows.
None of the thieves had time to brace themselves as the full force of the elements, as well as plenty of status ailments were released upon them. Crow shut his eyes tightly as he prepared to go down right then and there, but was not met with any pain, much to his, and the other thieves' surprise. However, a much more painful sound met his ears, as Valiant collapsed to her knees and began to scream and writhe in the dim light.
It seemed that the shields she had erected had only covered the other Phantom Thieves, leaving her exposed to all of the attacks that should have been evenly distributed to all of the thieves. Oracle began to scream and freak out from within her UFO, and it took several of the thieves to calm her down enough.
"We have to eliminate the enemy before we can attend to her," Joker directed, his most recent Persona materializing and lighting a nearby Shadow on fire. It lit up the halls as it burned to nothing, and Crow felt his eyes burn at the intensity.
What if that attracts more enemies to our location? Crow fretted, as if the large spectacle hadn't already attracted every damn Shadow in this cursed maze. He was about to send Robin Hood after the Shadow directly in front of him when two pained grunts suddenly reached his ears. He looked to his right to see both Fox and Queen fall in battle, fainting from whatever pain had been inflicted upon them. That left Valiant, who had been laying in between them, very vulnerable.
For some reason, the Shadows seemed eager to take advantage of that situation specifically, three flocking over to pester the fallen Thieves. However, all three seemed to only have an invested interest in pestering Valiant where she was sprawled across the ground.
Mona and Noir noticed and began to attempt chipping away at those three Shadows specifically, and Crow had to jump back to avoid the attack by the Shadow in front of him, unable to look away from what was happening.
"Crow, that Shadow's health is nearly gone!" Oracle shouted, directing him to the one he had been facing. "Take it out, now!"
"Gladly," Crow replied, having Robin Hood shoot an arrow of light at it, causing it to disintegrate like a vampire exposed to the sun's rays. The victory soothed him, giving the boy a sense of self satisfaction.
'Oh no! Noir and Mona are too afraid to fight! Snap out of it!" Oracle shouted, before gasping in fear. "Valiant, no!"
A choked sob met Crow's ears, being the only sound he heard, even amidst the screams and chaos of the battle around him. He could only hear Valiant gasping for breath, and all he could see in the surrounding darkness was Valiant, clawing at the Shadow that was trying to choke the life out of her.
The only thing that stopped Crow from summoning Loki right then and there to obliterate the damned beast was the desire to destroy it himself. Everyone else had turned to help kill the Shadow that Oracle had pointed out, but were shocked as Crow ended it all in seconds.
Running forward, the detective grabbed the large axe that Noir held loosely in her hands and swung it at the hulking monster's arm. The Shadow dropped Valiant from its grip, and Noir and Mona at least had enough mind to catch her before she hit her head. However, no one noticed the small act of bravery as Crow took another swing at the Shadow's torso, causing it to scream wildly with pain. The thieves cringed, thinking the detective had somehow missed, as the hit to the torso did very little damage, but soon realized the hit had been purposeful.
Crow took another swing at the same spot, and then another, and another, chipping away at the Shadow's health in larger and larger amounts as it screamed and wailed and eventually begged for mercy. The cries went unheard, as the Phantom Thieves didn't even try to perform a holdup. Instead, Panther took a cautious step forward, smacking Mona out of his feeling of fear. The two directed their attention to their fallen members, as well as Noir, who was less afraid, but still very much inflicted with the status ailment.
Everyone cringed as, when the Shadow's health was finally low enough, Crow stopped hacking away at its torso and gave one final swing to its neck. The Shadow dissolved, screaming in agony in its final moments, leaving the group of Thieves alone, as they had defeated all of their enemies.
"That was brutal…" Skull mumbled, slightly afraid to go near the detective as Noir hesitantly accepted the axe back. She seemed afraid of Crow, but also interested as well. After all, she seemed to enjoy witnessing the suffering of Shadows to an abnormal degree.
Crow took a couple of steps away from the group, placing his mask back on his face and allowing Robin Hood to disappear, leaving the room a little more dimmer than before. He was very aware of all the stares he was getting from the group, but couldn't find it in himself to care too much. "I think one of those Shadows inflicted me with Rage. I don't know what came over me…" he muttered, not putting much energy into making the excuse convincing.
None of the Phantom Thieves seemed very convinced, either, but they also didn't have the energy to dig deeper. Instead, they all gave half hearted nods. All of them, except for Panther and Mona, placed their masks back on, leaving the other two to heal their fallen teammates. Fox and Queen were quick to open their eyes, looking disoriented as Joker and Skull helped them to their feet. Valiant had taken the heaviest beating, so she took a little longer.
Crow watched as she groaned and stretched, as though Valiant had only fallen asleep instead of nearly getting killed. She looked around dizzily, cringing and putting a hand to her neck, causing Crow to tense. Does she have the same injuries that she used to? He lifted his hand as if to reach out and help her up, but found that he still felt very unstable.
He thought it best to keep his distance, but cringed as Joker, out of everyone there, pushed him slightly forward. He could barely see it, yet the image of the leader giving him a stubborn frown wasn't lost. Crow gave in after a few seconds, sitting beside the girl as she blinked rapidly in the darkening halls.
"Goro…" she croaked weakly. "I think I had another nightmare."
"It was a nightmare for me, too, Valiant…" Crow trailed off. The girl seemed confused, before stiffening in realization.
"Right. Codenames…" Valiant tried to sit up, but still felt pain despite her injuries being healed. "I don't know if I can walk when I'm feeling like this…"
"Yeah, after all of that, we got really beaten up," Panther muttered. "But we have to reach the end of the maze somehow…"
"I have an idea," Queen said suddenly, "though it might be a bit hard with these small hallways, the rules never specified that we couldn't try it."
"What would that idea be, Queen," Mona asked, before Joker noticed the look that the team strategist was giving in the cat's direction.
"Turn into a car, and we'll drive until we see the exit," Joker explained, causing Mona to look nervous.
"With this maze, it would be rather hard to maneuver," Mona said nervously, before trying to give a confident smile. "I'll do it, but you had better be careful driving." Upon Joker's nod, Mona took a few steps back and transformed. Everyone quickly got in, and off they went.
With the bus's headlights, it was much easier to see where they were going, and the group avoided danger much easier than before. They continued on like this, until eventually they came upon a door that everyone assumed was the exit. Joker quickly got out and tried to push it open, but it remained stubbornly shut. Everyone began to feel worried that they would be unable to progress, but Crow managed to find an open vent that reflected off of the car's headlight.
Crow frowned as Mona transformed back into his normal form, grabbing a small piece of paper that had been taped to the vent's entrance. In the fading car light, he had been able to tell it was folded into the shape of a heart, but there had been no words written on it. He hid the paper in his pocket, recognizing it as a possible clue.
Everyone crawled their way through the vent and emerged into another part of the maze, deciding to go on foot when everyone realized they would probably have to use the vents more often than not in order to surpass Sae's cheating.
At all times, Crow couldn't help but worry how Valiant was doing. She had been terrified after the incident earlier, saying she had another nightmare when she had just started to recover, After going through what she did, he could understand this dark environment being especially traumatic to her.
He had made sure to stay close to her when Joker had given him that insistent stare, overpowering the detective's own feelings of inadequacy. So he found himself reaching out to check on her, always worried about how she must have been feeling.
However, it became clear after a while that if Valiant had ever been afraid, she no longer was. Either that, or she was very, very tired, as she quietly hummed a tune to herself, which slowly turned into quiet singing. Her voice was, admittedly, nothing incredibly impressive, but it had a soft, sweet lilt that calmed the detective just to hear. It was as though she were reassuring him that she was fine, because she was in good enough health to hum and sing. Crow knew that it was probably intentional behavior, but he still found himself under her spell. It's a very beautiful song… I wonder how she knows it.
"Two lovers, forbidden from one another~
A war divides their people~
And a mountain divides them apart~
Built a path to be together…"
All of the other Phantom Thieves, except for Fox and Mona, appreciated the song for a much different, more humorous reason. It was certainly applicable to the situation, as they found hidden vents and secret paths, making their way to the maze's exit slowly but surely.
Finally, they arrived into a part of the maze with lights on, looking just like the rest of the Casino at first. As the group of thieves made their way forward, Panther walked up to Crow and handed him the Taro Tanaka card.
"We might need this again later, so go ahead and hold onto it," the girl explained, before falling back to keep pace with Skull.
Crow slipped the card back into his pocket, and grabbed the piece of paper he had found earlier. There was nothing on it, so the detective slipped it back into his pocket, deciding not to worry about it as the Shadow from the reception area suddenly appeared, lowering a gate to what must have been the true exit.
The Phantom Thieves, with much hard work and perseverance, were able to overcome the latest obstacle put in their path, using multiple hallways off to the side to lift the gate and establish an escape route, before beating up the Shadow that had tried to pull such a dirty trick.
Valiant and Crow had been removed from the battles temporarily, as the rest of the thieves attacked the powerful Shadow. Perhaps it was through sheer willpower, or sheer lack of tolerance for the stupid tricks that were being thrown at them, but the fighters were hardly phased by the Shadow's attacks, and then delivered devastating blows of their own.
While that was happening, Valiant gave Crow a nervous look. "Um… earlier when I asked if there were footsteps, I was actually referring to another set of footsteps that didn't belong to our friends, and they weren't heavy enough to be a Shadow's."
"I see," Crow nodded, getting the piece of paper out of his pocket. "I think it's safe to assume my messenger is just messing with us."
"Could be…" Valiant rubbed the back of her neck, her earlier injuries having already healed, but she still felt a slight jolt of phantom pain where the marks should have been. "Um… thanks for what you did in the fight earlier. I wasn't awake to see it, but I'm happy you saved all of us, no matter how you did it."
Crow couldn't bring himself to smile, as a lump of dread formed in his throat at his earlier act of cruelty that everyone had witnessed. He hadn't cared then, but soon enough the others would want to know the true reason why he had acted so brutally. Before he could think too long on it, though, the rest of the Phantom Thieves ran up to them, having just defeated the Shadow blocking their path. He instead gave a quick nod to Valiant, who looked like she had wanted to say more.
The coins they had earned from completing the maze had already been added to their card, so the Phantom Thieves quickly headed back towards the reception area, and then towards the Battle Arena. The Shadow waiting to greet them explained the battle conditions. Only one of them would be able to enter as the team's representative in battle, which unnerved them at first. However, when it was explained that the reward for winning would be one-hundred-thousand coins, the exact amount of coins needed to lower the bridge, the Phantom Thieves knew they had to. Crow volunteered Joker, due to his adaptability, and the Phantom Thieves each seemed to realize that was the best option.
As Crow watched Joker enter the arena, it occurred to him that there was most likely more than one trap awaiting them in order to hinder their progress. The "honest" one-on-one battles seemed too simple of a trick, and the detective knew that after this, there was only one thing that could be done to hinder their progress.
They needed more coins.
That much was obvious. Not to mention, while the Phantom Thieves were distracted by battle, he was presented with one more opportunity to look around for anything. He looked at Queen, and decided she would be the best one to ask if he could leave. After all, even though he didn't want anyone else to learn about his secrets just yet, he still planned on working with the Phantom Thieves to bring down Shido, so he had to follow the condition Joker had made and bring someone along aside from Valiant.
Leaning over to the team's strategist, who seemed completely occupied with the battles already occurring, he quickly began his pitch. "Queen, I believe it would be a good idea if we had more coins, just in case something goes wrong during Joker's fights. Would you be alright with me visiting the dealer with one or two of you?"
"Huh?" Queen looked at the detective in surprise, not expecting to be interrupted, especially by such a long sentence. She took a few moments to process what she had heard, before sighing. "Do any of you want to go with Crow? He has something he needs to do away from the group."
"I'll go," Valiant volunteered, causing Queen to shake her head.
"Aside from you. You're held to the same condition as him, you know."
"I know, but I want to go, too," Valiant explained. Everyone quickly discussed who else should go with them, and after a minute or, Panther decided she would be the one to go.
The three quickly walked away from the stands, feeling nervous about leaving their comrade to face so many dangers without them, though they also knew there wasn't anything they could do while they were separate from him. It didn't help that they had seen already that Shadow Sae still had no intention of playing fair, setting their leader against multiple enemies.
Panther looked at Crow for a moment in consideration. "You're going to do something with that extra members card, aren't you?"
"Yes," Crow confirmed, not really wanting to explain his thought process further than that.
The blonde nodded, "I know this may be an odd line of thought while we're in a Palace, but I want to give you two some privacy, so…" She looked around and found a small table where a vase once sat, before Joker broke it. "I'll sit here. Just don't go anywhere I can't see you and I'll let you go."
Valiant blushed red. "Panther, it-it's a Palace! Why do you think we need privacy like… that?"
Panther laughed. "I think it's pretty obvious that you two need a moment alone to discuss things. I trust you, Valiant. I know Joker and everyone else would probably call me an airhead for it, but I've been getting the feeling that something's not right between you two…" Unsure what to say after that, Panther sat down on the table and gave them a waving motion. "Call it a gut feeling, now off you go."
The two looked stunned for a moment, but ultimately decided to take advantage of the opportunity Panther was giving them. When they were about ten feet away, Valiant leaned over and quietly said, "She reminds me of one of those babysitters who doesn't really care what the kids do as long as they don't kill each other…"
'Yes, though that's not always a good thing," Crow agreed, the notion of such a guardian not sitting as well with him. "In other words, Panther is neglecting us."
"That is what we want, though," Valiant reminded, before biting down on her lip as they arrived at the desk in front of the battle arena. Panther did have a point, though what she wanted to talk about was better off being discussed in the real world. "So… Is there anything you want to talk about with me?"
"Hm…" the detective looked down in consideration as he got the Taro Tanaka card out of his pocket. "I've been thinking for a while now that you're too reckless in these battles. For someone who no longer wants to die, you seem very eager to throw your life away…"
Valiant sputtered in shock, "I get what you're trying to say, but that's pretty harsh!"
"Harsh, but true," Crow said, before asking the Shadow about placing bets. The two discussed the topic back and forth for a few minutes, and Valiant got the distinct feeling he would be expecting a reply from her when he was done.
While she considered what to say, Valiant looked around the area they were in. As always, nothing stood out, and the girl felt disappointed in her lacking skills to investigate. Though, she also knew that if there was anything important she was supposed to notice, it would be much more obvious.
Inevitably, this led her thoughts to mainly focus on her reply. There was a reason she was so willing to take the hits for her friends. It had to do with the fact that she couldn't bare to see them hurt. Still, there was something more to it. Everytime she took a hit or fainted, she knew she would wake up again. It was hardly a risk to her life, because she never thought they would lose. In the House of Darkness, even as she fell she could feel the horror of her teammates as the battle hit them harder than expected, she knew they would win no matter what. While she was unconscious, she still felt aware, and she could feel the anger and fear and panic her teammates felt as they were trampled upon.
She thought of Crow, throughout all of the battles they had fought in this in this Palace alone. She would block the attacks that came towards him, and he would fight the enemy with a strength nearly unmatched. They were a good team, and Valiant felt the same intense urge to keep the good things she did have.
Crow was just finishing with his bets, feeling both confident, and incredibly nervous at the risk he was about to take. As it always had been in this Palace, it was a high-risk/high-reward situation. It was a risky move, and if they lost they would lose almost all of their progress. Still, the Phantom Thieves had let him do this so easily. What would they think if they did end up losing?
"We'll win, Crow," Valiant spoke up suddenly. "It's not even a possibility we'll lose."
"How can you be so sure…? And… Why did they allow me to go so easily?" he asked. It felt… unnatural to him, like it shouldn't have happened at all. As always, he should have had to lie and sneak.
"I can answer both of those questions with one word," Valiant said with a smile. "Trust... I trust you, and so do they, and I trust them…"
"They shouldn't trust me, and neither should you," Crow argued, a frustration sinking into him. He was too bloodstained for that. It was logic, and fact. He was never going to think otherwise.
"Maybe… But that's just the way it is. I can't speak for them, but they trust you. As for me, I trust you, believe in you, and… I depend on you, really." Valiant blushed. Saying those words felt like taking a breath of fresh air. As crazy and illogical as it was, she trusted this bloodstained detective that was so prone to hate. If nothing else, she felt that now that the truth was finally out, there was no reason to hide again. She knew that what she had seen lately was only an example of his best behavior, but being able to talk with him felt as easy as breathing.
"You're crazy, and naive, and probably got dropped on your head when you were a baby," Crow said, though there was no bite behind his words. It was spoken like it was absolutely true, and that just made the girl smile.
"We're the same then, you crazy, emotionally-stupid, baby," Valiant retorted, sticking her tongue out. "And I know you definitely got dropped by someone."
"One of my past guardians, though I was much older than an infant," Crow said, his chest feeling a bit tight as he wasn't really sure how to respond to the girl's teasing. He responded well to praise, and yet her insults were not unappreciated, either. What an odd contradiction.
"Crow, I don't want to keep acting like we have been lately. I keep trying to be distant, because it feels like the responsible thing to do. I feel like we've gotten past that, but it still feels awkward to not bring up," Valiant explained, looking down at her feet and biting the inside of her cheek. "I know that things will never be the same as they were… because I can't unlearn the truth, but I don't think that has to always be a bad thing. I don't think I should have to act like it is when I know what you are, and who you are, and I accept it…"
"Say- Valiant?" Crow stumbled, as some indescribable feeling overwhelmed him. Even as she said it, the words she was saying were so hard to believe...
"Hey…" Valiant suddenly looked desperate. "Do you trust me? I'm telling the truth… but it looks like you don't believe me…"
Crow felt his throat tighten, not daring to speak or think or hope. He disagreed with her opinions… but did he accept them? Did he trust that this was how she felt? That was what she was asking him. Could he accept that she accepted him? It was something that he had always wanted and hoped for, but had always thought would be impossible. It had been nothing more than a foolish desire that got in the way of his goals... Not to mention, there was always the possibility that she didn't mean that… Once again, he would search for acceptance and love and get hurt again.
No… Sayori would never do that. She's not some trash guardian only in it for the paycheck… and she knows that dying is only going to hurt the people she cares about. She's not going to hurt me, and… she knows that I'm Goro Akechi. I've murdered, and hurt others, and she knows that, and accepts that… So…
"I trust you, too," Crow finally stated. "But I still completely disagree with you. Run away now, before you lose the chance."
"No, you're stuck with me," Valiant disagreed. "You're self aware enough, and your goals have changed a lot from what they once were. As it is now, if your father told you to kill someone, would you do it?"
"No," the detective said easily.
"What if… I'd die if you didn't do it?" Valiant sounded unsure at the thought, knowing this was a sensitive topic.
The detective frowned at that. "To be honest, I don't know entirely what I would do in this situation, anymore. At this point I just want to bring him to justice so I don't have to worry about it anymore…"
"That's not an answer…"
"I don't want to kill anyone, but I am prepared to admit I value your life above others. So while I want to abide by your ethics, and what I want, at this point I'll pull the trigger on someone to save you…" the detective looked frustrated, and angry as he covered his eyes with his hand. "I probably just ruined everything, didn't I?"
"No… I expected something close to that… but we're hoping for the best case scenario… and again, I trust you. If there's a possibility, you'll find a better solution. We're about to bring everyone else into all of this, after all. Dragging them into a situation like that may not be ideal, but it's better than murder," Valiant pointed out.
"That's true… I suppose I have to get used to the feeling of having others to rely on," Crow said, not having really thought of that possibility.
"You can start with me… Rely on me to do what I need to do, whether it's to get hit in battle, or run away if your dad is suddenly after me, or count on me to protect you," Valiant said, her tone suggesting a command rather than a request.
"I'll try," Crow responded, his throat suddenly dry at the thought. "I don't like the thought of you getting hurt, though."
Valiant smiled sweetly and hugged him, "It's going to happen, eventually. It probably doesn't sound as easy as I make it sound, but just trust that things are going to be okay. You've got me, and I've got you, and that's all we need to have for things to turn out alright."
It took a few seconds, but eventually the detective hugged her back. It felt so odd to simply trust something that came with no explanation. Though, Valiant had said time and time again that she didn't want to worry or doubt any longer. The less she stressed herself out, the better, so if he could take one less weight off of her shoulders…
"Yeah, we've got each other," Crow said, his voice sounding so distant all of a sudden. He had made this choice such a long time ago… but once again the thought reoccurred to him. He couldn't betray her. Nothing could ever be worth that pain. The way she embraced him so tightly, relaxing her body against his as he confirmed that he would never do anything to hurt her…
...The way she leaned in with her eyes closed, all filled him with a filling warmth he had been lacking in for too long. He was quick to lean forward as well, only realizing now that he had missed this even more than he had first thought.
Before their lips could finally meet, they were both sorely reminded of why exactly the boy's codename was Crow. The beak on his mask thankfully only poked the surface of her mask, but it was rather embarrassing to realize how caught up in the moment they really had been. The Shadow had been staring at them the entire time, not reacting as they had such a serious talk. It ruined the mood a bit, but Valiant wasn't giving up just yet.
"Take this off," she demanded, tapping the mask in between his eyes impatiently.
Crow smirked, thinking of a retort-a way to get the girl to do it herself and take what she wanted- when several resounding cheers were heard in the distance.
"Joker won!" Panther shouted at them, waving her arms to tell the two to get over there.
"Here are your winnings," the Shadow dealer grumbled in frustration, handing the Taro Tanaka card to Crow with a dark look. "Now scram!" It actually looked threatening at that, so Crow and Valiant decided to read social cues for once and go join their team.
On their way back, Valiant took hold of Crow's hand and entwined her fingers with his, deciding that gesture would have to do for now. Still, the way the boy squeezed it so tightly told her it hardly made a difference.
"So how many more coins did you win?" Panther asked once the two were back at her side.
Crow smirked. "You'll see…"
The blonde blew a raspberry, but grinned nevertheless as the trio ran back to reunite with their teammates.
Joker exited the arena with a tired but incredibly proud look, sporting multiple wounds from his battle, but still able to walk away from the fight. That was more to be said then the other guy, anyway. He noticed the three late arrivals and was about to tease them, but decided against it as Mona began to heal him, not wanting to move too much while he did so.
"You were incredible!" Panther shouted, even though she hadn't seen the full battle.
"The Phantom Thieves comes out on top!" Mona said, stepping away from the leader and jumping excitedly.
"I'm sure you did great! I'm sorry we couldn't be there to cheer you on," Valiant apologized.
"It's fine," Joker said simply, before glancing at Crow. "I'm guessing you had something important to do?"
Crow nodded, a cheeky grin on his face. "Something tells me we haven't seen the last of Sae-san trying to hinder us, so I decided to get more coins with your decisive battles."
"We made sure someone else went with us," Valiant clarified, even though it had been obvious with Panther arriving with them.
"How many coins did you get, exactly?" Fox asked, looking curious. Crow held up the card for him to see, and the artist's eyes seemed to pop open.
"Let us see!" Oracle leaned over Fox's arms, along with Skull, cutting off the artist's line of sight. Noir tried to find space to see as well, but could only listen as the excitement started.
"For real? That's a lot of zeroes…" Skull said in awe.
"It may have been overkill, but I stand by the logic that we should try to get as many coins as possible," Crow replied.
"Either way, we can definitely lower the bridge now," Queen stated. "We should get going, right?"
Everyone nodded in agreement and left the arena, going back the way they came and up to the stairs they had been directed to earlier. Upon arrival, Joker inserted his card into the terminal. Everyone watched in anticipation as one side of the scale filled with coins. However, it suddenly stopped, and the bridge did not move. Everyone looked at it in confusion and worry.
"It seems you worked hard to gather that many coins…" Shadow Sae said, sounding maniacal as she prepared her new trick. The Phantom Thieves grew nervous, waiting to hear what she had to say. "I never expected you would make it this far. I commend you on your vigorous efforts. However, you will never proceed to the manager's floor ahead. From this moment forward, the number of coins for the bridge will increase to one-million coins!"
A moment or two passed, and the Phantom Thieves looked at each other in brief shock, which made the Shadow all the more satisfied. However, that self satisfaction dissolved when the Phantom Thieves all relaxed and nodded at one another. "Is that all?" Joker asked, sounding almost bored with what was supposed to be a surprising reveal.
"What?" Shadow Sae asked, after a moment of shock on her end.
"Do it, Crow," Queen said suddenly, turning to look at their newest member.
"Of course," Crow said, a cheerful grin on his face as he inserted his card into the terminal, adding his amount of coins to Joker's.
"How could this be?!" Shadow Sae asked as the scale on the bridge filled with even more coins. "You had another card?!" The bridge suddenly spun around and lowered, waiting for the Phantom Thieves to cross it.
"Must I explain myself to you, Sae-san? There's nothing you can do to stop us at this point," Crow said, unable to hide the pride swelling within him at the Shadow's growing frustration.
"Actually, I'm rather curious to hear your methods, myself," Fox spoke up, giving an impish smile of his own.
"Oh, I suppose if you insist," Crow preened. Skull smacked him good-naturedly on the back, as everyone shared in the glory. The detective began his explanation then, feeling happy to share in the group's latest victory. "All of you remember what we were told at the very beginning, correct? Essentially, we could borrow as many coins from the casino as we already held on our card. If we had borrowed the maximum amount when we had ten-thousand coins, we would have ended up with twenty-thousand. And had we then bet on Joker at the Arena as a guest, our total would have then grown to four-hundred and sixty-thousand."
"And if you paid back the original ten-thousand, and then borrowed the maximum amount again, adding that to the original amount on Joker's card would give us the one-million coins we need to lower the bridge," Queen concluded, giving a short, slow clap.
"Precisely. Though, giving your group our second card so that you could follow us into the maze did worry me a bit," Crow brought up, suddenly thoughtful. "Miraculously, it seems that Sae-san did not notice your group using a separate card. I wonder why that could be…"
"We… should have noticed this! I don't understand! It says that the systems froze before it could register the card being used?" Sae sounded very distressed as the sounds of some programs being accessed were heard in the background of wherever she was.
"That's really weird… I wonder how this happened," Valiant said to herself thoughtfully. In a normal casino she supposed something like that could happen, but what did it mean if the systems froze in a casino that was in someone's head. It could be the person leaving messages… But if that's what's happening, they're helping us too much to be an enemy…
"One thing I'm wonderin' is, if we borrowed half of the amount we need, what about payin' it back?" Skull suddenly asked, sounding slightly nervous, and temporarily bringing everyone's attention back to the actual subject at hand.
"The manager's floor lies ahead. We won't have to worry about coins after this," Crow assured, making a grand sweeping gesture to the staircase.
"It's actually a bit scary how sharp you are," Mona commented, his mouth wide in awe.
"Be happy he's on our side, then," Valiant said with a happy grin. That thought was truly something she had been holding onto through this joyful experience. The ecstasy that came with the Phantom Thieves' victory was nothing compared to her own personal victory in this case. They were all on the same side! That was what she had wanted and hoped for all along.
"I'm glad I was able to make a meaningful contribution to our efforts as Phantom Thieves," Crow started suddenly, before looking over to the staircase. "The bridge has been lowered, so we should hurry to the manager's floor and secure our infiltration route, correct?"
"That's right. Let's get going!" Noir said, cheerfully. Everyone nodded in agreement, before sprinting up the steps, as it was the final stretch. Crow and Valiant stayed slightly behind, giving the casino one last glance as they followed the group. They also couldn't help but notice that no one was insisting on staying behind with them.
"I know it's too early to say for sure, but I think if there's one thing we can say, the person we have been looking for isn't an enemy…" Valiant said shyly.
"I think I can agree, though I am still not entirely certain. We do not know their motives for helping us, after all. Either way, we still need to find them. Hopefully they'll know the real culprit behind Okumura's death," Crow said, seriously, causing Valiant to scoff.
"Yeah, I get that, but let's be glass-half-full for now," Valiant suggested, squeezing his hand happily.
"On that note, let's go and see the Treasure," Crow said, beginning to quicken his pace up the stairs. However, before they could get too far, Shadow Sae's voice came back once again.
"Both of you are such irresponsible nuisances. The way you never have to follow rules or sacrifice anything, yet still get everything you want sickens me," the Shadow grumbled. "I promise with every fiber of my being that when you come to claim your prize, I'll be waiting. I will have no mercy or reservation as I destroy you two, along with the rest of you pathetic thieves." The voice cut off, leaving the couple feeling oddly cold.
"I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Sae-san," Crow apologized, looking regretful for a moment, before shaking his head. "But I won't apologize for finally taking the opportunity to pursue happiness. I hope after we steal away your distorted desires, you'll finally be able to understand."
"I'm sure she will," Valiant said quietly. "In the beginning she was only looking out for you, right? After we save her, she'll see that it was a simple mistake that she made. She's just too convinced that her opinion is the only correct one."
"You're right, of course," Crow said simply, before letting the unavoidable sadness begin to slip off his face.
"Don't do that," Valiant said, smiling tiredly. "You don't have to hide from any of us, anymore. There's no time like the present to start opening up."
The detective looked taken aback by the girl's bluntness, before nodding. Valiant took both of his hands and gave them a light squeeze, before leading him up the staircase.
They joined with everyone, who had all gathered around a pedestal where a glowing ball of light sat hovering above a pedestal. Crow took note of it, remembering that a similar glowing light had been what the group had taken in Okumura's Palace. Mona noted how close they were, and where he thought the Treasure would appear, until Sae's distorted voice once again cut into their conversation, making an announcement for all of the Phantom Thieves to hear.
"How uncouth of you to simply barge in here. Elegance is necessary for victory as well, you know," Shadow Sae stated, her voice once again composed. "I entertained you with all of my 'games,' but it appears you are still far from satisfied."
It's weird how she talks like she wasn't threatening Crow and me barely a minute ago, Valiant thought to herself in discomfort.
"Very well. I've made preparations especially for that possibility," Shadow Sae said, her voice now taking on a deadly lilt. "This will be a game of life and death from now on. No matter who I face, I shall not lose!"
"Sis…!" Queen shouted, before looking down and hugging herself, before turning to the group, trying to compose herself once more. "Our infiltration route is secure. We need to head back out and send the calling card." The group discussed the Treasure for a few more seconds, al while Queen stared at the glowing light, beginning to pick out a flat, rectangular object.
"Hm? What's up? You curious about the Treasure?" Oracle asked, noticing the girl's troubled expression.
"Speaking of that, it actually looks like there's a shape formed in the haziness…" Noir said, noticing it, too.
"If I had to guess… I'd say Sis's Treasure is a police notebook," Queen said, knowing well that it was a book of some sort.
"Right… Your father was…" Crow trailed off, not wanting to rip off a fresh scab even more.
"She… probably thinks Dad died because the police were using him," Queen said, her voice seeming to be in a permanently fixed somber tone. "That's why she believes justice is meaningless, and that there's no point living a subservient life… Dad's death is even the reason she aspired to become a prosecutor and grew so obsessed with winning…" She turned away from the Treasure and back to her friends. "She really loved him…"
"I… um…" Valiant struggled to find the right words to say. "I'm sure she loves you, too," sounds rude…
"Sae-san's heart must be exhausted from living in such a fiercely competitive world…" Crow said, cringing as he thought of her earlier words to him. He had killed her spirit, he was sure. "Honest beliefs are not enough to get you through. Even I understand that pain… But that is exactly why we need to change her heart."
"...Yes, you're right," Queen agreed, sighing to herself in barely contained sorrow.
"And now we've ascertained the location of the Treasure for that goal…" Fox said, trying in some small way to lift everyone's spirits.
"Let's head back," Joker said. Everyone nodded in agreement, eager to get out of the room where distortions felt so high.
As they turned to leave, Valiant gave a final glance back to the Treasure and the room it awaited in. The next time they came here, they would have to fight Sae's Shadow, and then when they stole her Treasure, the Palace would most likely collapse. This was their final opportunity to investigate, but nothing stood out to Valiant.
In disappointment, the girl turned and left, unaware that this was exactly what the individual hiding behind the staircase wanted. They glanced at the departing group, heart aching as they considered the next course of action that would need to be taken.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please read and review and I'll see you all next time!